Back at it

• Wow. Another year is upon me, starting back tomorrow. It's hard to believe that this is my last year of school, and yet it feels like I've been in medicine for the last 15 years. Funny that.
• This year is filled with rotations that I have chosen, mostly. Chosen from a list of rotations available to us, with all of the various criteria met - a smattering of internal medicine, primary care or surgery all required in order to make us well rounded. UBC puts a bunch of restrictions on which electives you can take in 4th year, so that someone doesn't do just ophthalmology rotations for instance. I'm not exactly sure what the problem is with that, if you are so single-minded that you only want to travel deeply into a field vs scan the horizons of medicine for a wider variety. Perhaps it's because it's the last time UBC has their say before we go off in all directions to various schools for residency. Their last chance to impose their will on us. Some of my classmates would probably think this, but I just think they want to do their best to make us as broad-minded and well-educated as possible. I guess it's the optimist in me.

• This year will find me doing rotations in cardiology, pediatrics, psychiatry, nephrology (the kidney), geriatrics, obstetrics/gynecology and my (likely) favorite, palliative care. My goals for the year? Here they are:

1. To get my md - fingers crossed!
2. To secure a spot in the #1 residency program of my choosing.
3. To figure out which residency program to make my #1 choice.
4. To be sponge-like in every situation I encounter - soaking up the knowledge and wisdom that comes my way in whatever form it takes.
5. To learn how to deal with the disappointing, soul-sucking experiences in a way that opens my heart rather than closes it.

• That's about it for now. I'll keep you posted in fits & starts as per my usual haphazard way. As for you, I hope that you get to enjoy the last few days of summer with as many uninterrupted pleasurable moments as possible.